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Maialino's Olive Oil Cake

Name: Maialino's Olive Oil Cake
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 1 h
Yield: Makes a 9-inch round cake
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour; 1 3/4 cups (350g) sugar; 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt; 1/2 teaspoon baking soda; 1/2 teaspoon baking powder; 1 1/3 cups (285g) extra-virgin olive oil; 1 1/4 cups (305g) whole milk; 3 large eggs; 1 1/2 tablespoons grated orange zest; 1/4 cup (60g) fresh orange juice; 1/4 cup (55g) Grand Marnier

by: Genius Recipes

February 11, 2014

98 Ratings

Photo by James Ransom

Test Kitchen-Approved

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Author Notes

Olive oil cake at its best has a crackling crust and an aromatic oil-rich middle, which, if it held any more moisture, would be pudding. Pulling this off should be easy—there aren't even egg whites to whip and fold, or butter to cream—but it isn't always. This one, however, is perfect, and will ruin you for all others. Recipe from Maialino Restaurant in New York City, where they also serve it at breakfast in muffin form, and they've been known to turn it into a birthday cake, layered with mascarpone buttercream. The recipe is pictured here with Michelle Polzine's Slow-Roasted Strawberries from Genius Desserts by Kristen Miglore (Ten Speed Press, September 2018). —Genius Recipes

Test Kitchen Notes

Why is this the most beloved Genius dessert of all time? We'll tell you: It's irresistibly moist, rich and flavorful without being cloying, and exceptionally simple. Mix together some wet ingredients in one bowl, dry ingredients in another, tip the combined mixture into a cake pan, and boom. You've got a foolproof, good-no-matter-what cake. No butter softening or egg whipping or mixer wielding necessary. And because of all the moisture in the batter, there's not even the slightest chance of the cake overbaking and drying out.

On the olive oil: Since it's the primary flavor in the cake, use one that you'd be happy featuring in a salad dressing. A fruity type will complement the Grand Marnier and orange zest in the batter, while a peppery, grassy kind will create a wonderful savory contrast. It's really a matter of personal taste.

Of course, because our community loves this cake so much, they've found ways to make it their own: They've swapped out some of the all-purpose flour for almond meal and cornmeal; they've used infused olive oil for an even more pronounced punch of flavor; they've used other liqueurs in place of the Grand Marnier, to give the cake a slightly different personality; they've even added cocoa powder, espresso powder, and matcha powder (separately!) to the batter to give it a whole new groove. Mix-ins, too, aren't part of the original cake's deal, but chopped nuts, chocolate chunks or chips, or freeze-dried strawberries or raspberries would all be spectacular. Choose your own adventure—you can't go wrong any way. —Brinda Ayer
—The Editors

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Maialino's Olive Oil Cake

Prep time 15 minutes
Cook time 1 hour
Makes a 9-inch round cake

Ingredients

2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour
1 ³/₄ cups (350g) sugar
1 ¹/₂ teaspoons kosher salt
¹/₂ teaspoon baking soda
¹/₂ teaspoon baking powder
1 ¹/₃ cups (285g) extra-virgin olive oil
1 ¹/₄ cups (305g) whole milk
3 large eggs
1 ¹/₂ tablespoons grated orange zest
¹/₄ cup (60g) fresh orange juice
¹/₄ cup (55g) Grand Marnier

In This Recipe

Tools

Set a Timer

Directions

Heat the oven to 350° F. Oil, butter, or spray a 9-inch cake pan that is at least 2 inches deep with cooking spray and line the bottom with parchment paper. (If your cake pan is less than 2 inches deep, divide between 2 pans and start checking for doneness at 30 minutes.)
In a bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda and powder. In another bowl, whisk the olive oil, milk, eggs, orange zest and juice and Grand Marnier. Add the dry ingredients; whisk until just combined.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 1 hour, until the top is golden and a cake tester comes out clean. Transfer the cake to a rack and let cool for 30 minutes.
Run a knife around the edge of the pan, invert the cake onto the rack and let cool completely, 2 hours.

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507 Reviews

squiddie October 24, 2020

delicious! made with grapefruit juice and cardamom. the 200g olive oil i used left the outer 1/3rd a bit drier than i would like, so i might go for 230g next time. also cut the sugar to 300g and that was a nice balance, though i'm tempted to cut more or experiemnt with sugar substitutes.

Diane October 24, 2020

I always reduce the amount of sugar in a cake recipe and did so in this one, as you did. I love that you used grapefruit juice.

rozina26 November 22, 2020

Sugar is hydrophilic, so reducing it by default will also make your cake less moist, not the lack of oil.

T October 3, 2020

This is delicious, but still quite too moist for my taste even after adjusting oil to 200. Sugar reduced to 150, and it’s just a hint of sweetness - might try 175 next time!

rosecedar September 10, 2020

I've made this twice with delicious results, but I do not get the "crackling crust." Any suggestions?

JHK September 10, 2020

I made this for a small family gathering because I thought it would transport well - it did. I made it the morning of the afternoon meal because I didn't see any reference to preparing in advance. I followed the recipe exactly. I used a 9-inch pan with 1-1/2" sides and filled up the pan short by 1/4" and discarded about 1/2cup batter. The cake did split on top and never achieved a crackling crust as the author noted. But it was moist and dense and oh my, all that orange was devine. I served the cake with slow-roasted strawberries by Michelle Polzine (Genius Recipes). Fabulous combination as far as I'm concerned. Everyone enjoyed it and I will make again.

rosecedar September 8, 2020

Has anyone made this in a 10-cup bundt pan? I love this cake but I would like an option for a prettier presentation. I worry about it sticking to a bundt pan since there is so much oil in the batter.

Maggie E. October 31, 2020

I’ve made in a 10 C bundt Pan for that exact same reason. Just make sure you grease and then flour the bundt Pan extremely well, tapping out any excess flour. It should come out beautifully. I hope this helps.

Diane September 7, 2020

I made this prior to the pandemic for a big gathering. It was so popular. One gentleman had several pieces and asked if he could take a piece home with him! The orange zest is where the magic begins. I will be making this again--and definitely for company. Oh, and I did have to cook it longer than the hour, but that's okay. And I also didn't think it needed any fruit topping - everyone loved the flavour and how moist it was.

Diane September 7, 2020

I made this prior to the pandemic for a big gathering. It was so popular. One gentleman had several pieces and asked if he could take a piece home with him! The orange zest is where the magic begins. I will be making this again -- and definitely for company. Oh, and I did have to cook it longer than the hour, but that's okay. And I also didn't think it needed any fruit topping -- everyone loved the flavour and how moist it was.

Lesley P. September 6, 2020

I have to admit, I was a little skeptical but also excited about making this cake. It turned out lovely. I think that I need to cook it a bit longer than 60 minutes. It doesn’t really need the strawberries!

Kimberly M. September 6, 2020

People, people! You don't have to spend millions on olive oil for this. Aldi's organic olive oil is certified real olive oil and makes this cake perfectly. If it's your first try, stick to the letter of the recipe, and you'll be golden!

JLEE August 26, 2020

Speak of simple... this is by far so easy it’s sinful! Full of deliciousness!!!
The only ingredient I may change is not to use Morton’s Kosher Salt.. will use Diamond next time.

Linda E. September 6, 2020

I have made this cake several times using Morton Kosher Salt. I made it a few days ago and used our local grocery store chain Kosher salt - which is a more corse grind. While the cake was still delicious, the salt did not dissolve completely and made a noticeable difference. Going forward, I will make certain that a higher quality salt is used. That said - it was still delicious 😊

Barbara A. August 17, 2020

I made this cake yesterday for friends. It was LOVED. We all had seconds - even the 10 year old boys who might normally opt for something sweeter. I added a glaze, and used Cointreau instead of the Grand Marnier because it was what I had on hand. Other than that I followed the recipe exactly and it was a home run!!

Barbara A. August 17, 2020

hpnyknits August 12, 2020

I made this tonight. Next time perhaps a little less oil and a little more zest and liquor. Tastes good with vanilla ice cream.
Can this be frozen?

carissa August 13, 2020

It freezes beautifully! I defrost it in the fridge to avoid any excess dampness (as it’s already so moist).

Francesca B. July 1, 2020

I finally made this cake and it was fabulous. I used an extremely grassy, smooth (not peppery at all) Turkish olive oil. And I left it in the oven for an additional 10 minutes—I think my oven might run a little cool. The texture is silky, while the crust has a nice caramel chewiness to it. Definitely stays in the act.

Elise June 21, 2020

I have made this recipe at least 50 times. I had a custom piece of art made that is a visualization of this recipe. I even made my own wedding cake out of it 5 years ago — enough to serve our 250 guests. Each time I’ve made it, it has come out perfectly. My only modification is that I like to add extra orange zest because my husband and I absolutely adore citrus. This is the most requested dessert from friends and loved ones for any occasion. We actually have this cake in our kitchen right now because we just got an incredible artisan olive oil we wanted to use. My husband and I only buy artisan olive oil (aka $$$) which I believe might be the reason why the recipe has always come together so well for us with no oiliness etc.

Yabbadoo June 14, 2020

I've been making this cake and cup cakes for years. It's a great recipe and no need to delete, just use a little food science tricks. Use fresh orange or blood orange juice and good olive oil. To reduce the oiliness, first whisk oil with 3 egg yolks. This will help emulsify the oil. Then whisk in 3 eggs whites, orange zest, orange juice, and then mix in whole milk, booze. Follow the rest of recipe. I've also held back the egg whites and whipped them and folded into the cake batter as last step before baking. The cake was fluffy and tender. I've also reduced the oil amount to 1 cup or smidgen under 1 cup, and used 2% milk. No matter which variation, it's a family favorite.

kppurdy June 13, 2020

I really enjoyed how simple the recipe was. My one substitution for this was fresh squeezed orange and I think it made all the difference.

These were really good as little muffins in the morning when I didn’t want to cook.

stephanie C. June 1, 2020

One other thing, you must use good, higher quality olive oil.

stephanie C. June 1, 2020

This is my second review for this cake. I feel like I need to defend it! I have been making this cake for years after I it saw in a cooking magazine. I have made this cake too many times to count and it always gets rave reviews. There have been a few times when it did not come out as good as it normally does but I can usually pin point why. I used an 8” pan, that didn’t work. Another time I took it out too soon. I checked it before the timer went off and the toothpick came out clean but it really need to finish cooking the full amount of time. I’ve put too much olive oil, that didn’t work. I put too much batter in the pan before and it didn’t work. Sometimes you may have a little batter left In the bowl. If it didn’t turn out, try again. Hopefully knowing some of my failures can help for a successful cake next time. A few things I do to insure success are always use a 9” pan, I coat the pan with a thin layer of olive oil and sugar then line with parchment paper. The sugar gives a nice caramelized coat. And I make sure it’s cooked through which seems obvious I know but it happens to the best of us. It is an olive oil cake so it will have a different consistency than other cakes. I would describe as a pound cake made with olive oil. It really is a delicious cake.

maryO June 1, 2020

I love how much emotion this olive oil cake recipe conjures up. It's one of the favorite, and probably the easiest cake that I regularly make. Family and guests love it. I usually cut down on the oil to 3/4 cups, just based on reviews when I first made the cake in 2015. And I sometimes swap out the flour with a combination of gluten free plus almond flour. Always good. Love it with a marscapone frosting, as I mentioned in an old review. Admittedly, we have no aversion to high fat aft in our home.

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